The present invention relates to an editing apparatus for use in production of programs such as television broadcasting programs or video programs and more particularly, to a motion image control apparatus and method suitably used in production of motion image programs.
As we quickly enter upon information-oriented society, the functions of a computer used in an apparatus for producing television broadcasting programs and video programs have been made quickly high-level and sophisticated.
In particular, recent program production often uses such a video editing method that video information is recorded on inexpensive hard disk easy to handle and save or on optical disk and an operator edits the saved video information with use of a motion image editing apparatus; though, the program production employed, in the past, such a video editing method that an operator edits video information with use of a video tape recorder by repeating sequences in fast forward and backward or reverse scan by looking to a tape counter.
Though the computer has been used and its functions have been sophisticated, however, the editing operations in the motion image editing apparatus comprising a magnetic recording/reproducing device using such hard disk or optical disk still requires the operator to record motion images, e.g., in the hard disk or to preview and confirm the motion images recorded in the hard disk. The word "preview" means to reproduce a result of video information in the course of editing or after editing is completed on a display screen for confirmation by the operator.
In general, a motion image editing apparatus for editing of video information displays operational and control windows based on software on the screen of a display connected to a system control computer which forms part of the motion image editing apparatus, and an operator operates and controls the motion image editing apparatus on the basis of the displayed operational and control windows.
Displayed, based on software, in the operational and control windows on the display screen are control panels which can have the same functions as slider and pushbutton switch and which can be operated as an alternative to such an input device as a mouse or keyboard acting in response to a combination of key or mouse operations. For example, a rectangular display area (which will be referred to merely as "slider", hereinafter) as an alternative to the slider is further provided therein with a square display zone simulating slider's knob (which will be referred to merely as "knob", hereinafter). When the operator puts a cursor on the displayed knob with use of the mouse connected to the system control computer and clicks (which means to push a pushbutton switch on the mouse) the mouse or moves the mouse while dragging (which means to move the mouse while keeping the mouse pushbutton pushed, for the purpose of moving the position of the cursor-selected figure, etc.); this is equivalent to realize a shuttle function of a dial type, attached to, e.g., a video tape recorder.
FIG. 1 shows, as an example, a configuration of an editing display screen when a piece of motion image editing software being generally used is employed. A similar screen is shown in a reference book entitled "MEDIA SUITE PRO", User's Guide for THE INDIGO (registered) FAMILY, Version 1.0, p. 59, 1994. In the editing screen, a window 800 is used to edit motion image data such as capturing it in an editing system. The window 800 has an image display section 802 in its center area and also has a right-side control panel in which a slider 801 is provided for realizing a function similar to the aforementioned shuttle function.
As generally known, the following shuttle function is known. In the drawings, however, only the slider for realizing the shuttle function is depicted. A similar shuttle function is disclosed in a reference book entitled "Adobe Premiere (registered) User Guide", Version 4.0, 1994, page 122.
The conventional shuttle function is, as shown in FIG. 2, of such a type that all frames of a motion image being edited are made to coincide with a full scale of the slider.
That is, when the operator, using the mouse, drags a knob 201 of a displayed slider 200 to a left end 204 of the slider 200, this specifies a leading frame 202 (also called an IN point) of a file corresponding to the motion image; whereas, the operator drags the knob to a right end 205 of the scale, this specifies a last frame 203 (also called an OUT point) of the file.
This type of slider 200 is designed so that, when the operator releases the knob 201 being dragged to stop the dragging operation, the knob 201 will stay at the knob released position as it is to continuously display all the frames.
In the second type, which the present inventors examined in the process of reaching the present invention and had not been known before the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, a slider 300 has its origin 302 in the mid-point of the slider 300 or in the vicinity thereof. When a knob 301 is located at the origin position, the reproduction rate of the image becomes zero and the image can be displayed as a still image. In this case, when the knob 301 is moved rightwards the image is reproduced in its forward direction, whereas, when the knob 301 is moved leftwards, the image is reproduced in its opposite direction. Further, the reproduction rate varies depending on an amount of displacement of the knob 301 from the origin 302. In other words, the motion image can be reproduced with the allocated reproduction rate.
For example, assuming that an ordinary reproduction rate is 1, the image is reproduced at a rate corresponding to n times the ordinary rate at the rightmost end of the slider 300, while, the image is backwardly or reversely reproduced at a rate corresponding to n times the ordinary rate at the rightmost end thereof in the opposite direction.
In this second type of shuttle function, when the operator releases the knob 301 at a given position, the knob 301 stays still at the given moved position, and the image is continuously reproduced at the reproduction rate of the stayed position of the knob 301.
In the case of the second type, when it is desired to stop the reproducing operation, the operator is required to return the knob 301 to the origin 302.
As explained above, the shuttle function of the editing system using the piece of motion image editing software for reproduction of the motion image is considered to be divided into several types. However, the shuttle function has problems which follow, when the operator wants to preview the contents of the image in the course of the image editing or after the image editing was completed, to confirm it.
In the case of the first type of shuttle function (refer to FIG. 2), when an image requires a long previewing time, this increases the number of frames to be allocated to the amount of movement in the knob 201. For example, when the operator wants to move the image back by one frame, i.e., this requires the operator to conduct fine adjusting work; the amount of movement in the knob 201 becomes very short, which makes it difficult for the operator to do it and which is also not suitable for reproduction at a constant rate over a long-time, such as slow reproduction or double-speed reproduction.
In the case of the second type of shuttle function (refer to FIG. 3), when it is desired to stop the reproducing operation based on the shuttle function during the reproducing operation of the image at a given reproduction rate, this requires the operator to move the knob 301 to the prigin of the slider. However, it is highly difficult for the operator to surely put the knob 301 on the origin of the slider 300 through a single operation, and it is often the case that the knob 301 is moved left or right excessively.
As mentioned above, when the previewing is carried out using the shuttle function, the first and second types have their merits and demerits. For the slow reproduction and fast reproduction, the first type as shown in FIG. 2 is unsuitable. Further, the second type having no function of automatically returning to the origin as shown in FIG. 3, it is inconvenient when it is desired to display a target frame.